Scientific data on aluminium in vaccine adjuvants

2.3.2018

Question for written answer E-001327-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
Mireille D'Ornano (EFDD)

In its answer of 11 February 2016, the Commission stated that ‘the scientific evidence available supports the safe and effective use of aluminium adjuvants in vaccines’. A report published in September 2017 by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety has reignited the debate in the scientific community, however.

The French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) has found that aluminium in vaccine adjuvants injected into mice stays in their bodies for several months and eventually reaches the brain. At the same time, a representative of the French National Academy of Pharmacy has argued that animal testing is a poor risk predictor for human beings.

According to Professor Romain Gherardi, a researcher at INSERM, only certain people with genetic variations are likely to experience aluminium-related side effects, such as chronic fatigue. More than 600 cases of macrophagic myofasciitis (MFM), a complex disease that causes joint pain, extreme fatigue and cognitive impairment, have been diagnosed in France. An association for people living with MFM has claimed that the disease is caused by aluminium-based adjuvants.

1. What does the Commission make of these findings?

2. Does it intend to call for further research into the risks posed by aluminium in adjuvants?